Eternal Façade
by Frontier of Darkness
Summary: The first born son of each house hold is sacrificed to the demon of Haku Tora Mountain. Disguised as a female since birth, fifteen year old Ray Kon is engaged to the son of his neighboring village-head. Can he ever tell Mariah his true feelings? RM
1. Prologue

Eternal Façade  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Beyblade...........  
  
Summary: The first born son of each house hold is sacrificed to the demon of Haku Tora Mountain. Disguised as a female since birth, fifteen year old Ray Kon encounters vengeful demons, is engaged to the son of his neighboring village-head, and wonders if he could ever tell Mariah his true feelings. R+M  
  
A/N Yeah, yeah, I know. You are probably thinking, 'What the hell? This author knows they suck, so why are they trying again?' Well, I don't give up, unlike some people I know... I might or might now continue this... it depends on what you guys want...  
  
Chapter 1: Prologue  
  
***  
  
"Doctor! Isn't there anything you can do for her?"  
  
"Lady Kon! You must persist! We're getting help!" A dark-haired woman laid breathing heavily on a straw mattress. Eight others were assembled around her. The doctor's eyebrow's furrowed.  
  
"This does not look well."  
  
"But you can help her, can you not?"  
  
"I-I do not know. She has lost much blood." The anxious villager turned to the pained woman lying on the mattress.  
  
"My Lady, please put your mind to ease.  
  
"I-I w-won't m-make it."  
  
"Just a moment longer, Lady Kon! Help is on its way!"  
  
"I-it's t-too l-late."  
  
"Lady Kon!!!"  
  
"My child ........." the woman requested weakly.  
  
"Here he is, my Lady." The woman's pale lips curved into a small smile as she, with great difficulty, lifted a withered hand up to the boy's forehead and fondly brushed back a small curtain of fine, obsidian colored hair. A single tear leaked out of her eye.  
  
"R-ray..." Her hand fell limply beside her still, lifeless body. Her already shallow breathing lessened until it slowly came to a stop. A lonely tear made its way down the woman's once handsome face and left a damp spot on the child's forehead.  
  
"LADY KON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The villagers sat transfixed and disbelieving.  
  
"I'm... sorry... There was naught I could do..." the doctor bowed his head, his eyes filled with remorse. "I am sorry." The man silently gathered his things and a exited the hut, leaving the wretched people to deal with their misery.  
  
A middle-aged woman who had been sitting on his left, burst into quiet, slightly muffled sobs.  
  
"And to have died at such a young age," a man nearing his sixties shook his head, "such a pity... The lady was no more than twenty-three."  
  
"Someone, alert the Chief, at once!" a man exclaimed as another dashed out of the one-roomed cabin.  
  
Minutes later, a dark haired, flustered looking man came into the room, sweating profoundly.  
  
"What is it? What happened?" His knuckles gripped his cane tighter at the sight of the grave looks of the people's faces. "What's wrong?" The villagers mutely gestured to the bed. The man let out a horrified gasp and ran to the Lady's bedside.  
  
"No..." he cursed quietly, as he lifted the deceased hand to his chest, "no..." He had to attend a meeting earlier on that day so he was not present when his wife went into labor. Shaking and white-faced, he got unsteadily to his feet. "How...?"  
  
One of the villagers stepped up and answered his unspoken question. "She... lost a large amount of blood. The doctor was not able to halt the bleeding... there was naught we could do..." The chief's eyes stung with unshed tears, then widened in realization.  
  
"Where is my child?" he demanded, startling the other occupants in the room. He paled further at the looks on their faces. "Don't tell me... is it...?"  
  
"No, Lord Kon... the child's fine... but that is what worries me..."  
  
"What do you mean?" exclaimed the worried man. The child was wordlessly handed over to him. The chief smiled lightly in spite of himself. The child was sleeping peacefully while unconsciously sucking on its thumb. Its eyes were closed softly and its small face was framed with a mass of smooth, silky black hair. Its small lips were curved into a tiny smile, giving the infant an angelic and almost cat-like look. There appeared to be nothing wrong with it.  
  
"What's its name?"  
  
"Ray. That was the last word the Lady uttered before she had fallen into eternal slumber."  
  
Lord Kon loosened the baby's blanket a tad bit, and was immediately horrified at his discoveries.  
  
"M-my ch-child is... A BOY?!?!?!" he cried, "No, it can't be!"  
  
"I'm sorry, my lord..."  
  
"No... I won't let him."  
  
"What do you mean milord?"  
  
"You heard what I said. I won't let him." Lord Kon stated firmly. "I will NOT allow my only son to be sacrificed to some furry freak!" The villagers exchanged very worried looks.  
  
"But we must do as he says or great misfortune will descend upon us!" one exclaimed.  
  
"No! Never!" the Lord yelled.  
  
"We must offer the demon the first born son of any household, including your own!" exclaimed another. Lord Kon closed his eyes and uttered a suffering sigh.  
  
"Then he must not be a boy..." With that, he lifted the boy up into his arms.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ray... my son..."  
  
***  
  
So, that was a strange new prologue... *whacks myself repeatedly at repeatedly calling Ray an it* X_X Please forgive me...  
  
Review if I should continue! Flames are welcome, so give me some! (Hey! I'm a poet and I didn't even know it!)  
  
Signing out,  
  
Frontier of Darkness AKA Dark Magician 


	2. Meeting

Eternal Façade  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Beyblade... oh, the possibilities... *o*  
  
Summary: The first born son of each house hold is sacrificed to the demon of Haku Tora Mountain. Disguised as a female since birth, fifteen year old Ray Kon encounters vengeful demons, is engaged to the son of his neighboring village-head, and wonders if he could ever tell Mariah his true feelings. R+M  
  
A/N It seems to me that the prologue has caused many of you to suffer from confusion, so I'll clear some things up a bit.  
  
Skittles the Sugar Fairy: Yep, I'm must agree.  
  
Angie & Galux Kitty: Lady Kon and Lord Kon are the titles given to Ray's parents, since they are in charge of the village. The "Lady" and "Lord" are titles used by the villagers to show respect.  
  
Galux Cat: And to put it bluntly, Ray's mother died giving birth to him and the doctor is still alive. ^^;  
  
Bimbo-blonde: Thank you!  
  
KazeMadoshi: :(  
  
Kasiree: Thanks! ^-^  
  
Lisa: Um... excuse me?  
  
I'm sorry I made it so confusing. ^^ Forgive me?  
  
Chapter 2: Meeting  
  
***  
  
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.  
  
"Hey! Come back!" A small girl, no older than five, called uselessly after her escaped ball while running as fast as her tiny legs could allow her to run, her short fuchsia hair trailing behind her. She stifled a frustrated cry as the ball rolled on faster, due to the sloping land. The ball gained even more momentum as a cold wind blew by.  
  
The girl increased her own speed further in an attempt to catch up but soon started to slow down. After a few more fruitless attempts to get closer she collapsed on her back, onto the soft green grass by the side of the road. She hurriedly took a couple of deep, steadying breaths before pulling herself into a sitting position.  
  
"How am I going to get my ball back now?" she grumbled as she let out a tiny disappointed sigh. "And I borrowed that from my bigger brother too! Lee's going to be so angry when he finds out!" She emitted a small whimper as she drew herself tighter into a tiny ball and buried her face in her hands.  
  
She then heard soft footsteps approaching. The girl ignored them, thinking that they were just going to pass her. But to her surprise, they stopped directly in front of her.  
  
"Is this your ball?" asked a gentle, slightly sympathetic voice. The pink- haired girl looked up in surprise.  
  
Standing before her, was a seven-year-old with warm golden eyes, holding out the very same ball that that had eluded her earlier. The child's luxurious black hair flowed loosely around their shoulders.  
  
"Yeah! Thank you so much!" the small girl cried out happily before carefully taking the ball out of the stranger's hands and wrapping her arms around it in a loose hug, determined not to lose it again. The stranger gave her a light smile.  
  
"Be careful with that. Straw balls are really hard to make these days. You're really lucky to have one these days." The pink-haired girl returned the stranger's smile.  
  
"Do you live nearby? I haven't really seen you around here." The boy grinned humorlessly.  
  
"That's because my father does not allow me to leave my home. He claims that it's too dangerous. But since that he went out today, I decided to sneak out." He sighed. "Sometimes father's really paranoid. I think he reckons that I might get carried off by a demon or something." The six-year- old giggled.  
  
"My mommy told me not to be out after dark because she thinks that the village is haunted by evil sprits. I think she's just scared of the dark. By the way, my name is Mariah. What is yours?" Her companion shifted slightly, as if unwilling to answer her question. Then he finally decided to tell her.  
  
"Ray. The name is Ray."  
  
"It's nice to meet you, Ray!" Mariah exclaimed. Ray stared at the ground an almost regretful look.  
  
"Yeah. You too." Mariah beamed at him.  
  
"So, is this the first time that you sneaked out?" she questioned.  
  
"Nah. I sneak out every Saturday morning. But then I have to get back by mid day." Ray replied, looking proud of himself. "It's nice to go outside and get some fresh air, and interact with some people, even if it's just once a week."  
  
"Does that mean you don't have any friends?" Mariah shot him a sympathetic look as he shook his head. "It must be hard to be all alone."  
  
"So, do you have any friends?" The girl grinned.  
  
"Yeah! Lots! There's Gary--- he's pretty big for his age, my brother Lee and Kevin--- he's the smallest. Mariam, Ozuma, Dunga and Joseph, are from the other side of the village. Hilary and Emily are from the school house. I met Tyson, Max and Kenny around the neighbourhood. And there's always Tala, Bryan, Spencer and Ian; the troublemakers," the girl trailed off, ticking off her fingers thoughtfully, "Oh! And there's Kai: I don't really see him around that often."  
  
"That sounds... great..." sighed Ray, wishfully, unable to help feel envious of the pink-haired girl. Mariah smiled shyly.  
  
"And now... I have you!" she exclaimed. Ray's eyes lit up in surprise.  
  
"R-Really?" he asked, astonished, "B-But we've just met! We barely even know each other!"  
  
"We can start, can't we?" Mariah asked timidly. Ray broke into a large smile.  
  
"Thank you!" he cried before hugging the girl around the middle.  
  
"Now I have 18 friends!" exclaimed Mariah brightly. After a while, an awkward silence filled the air.  
  
"Um..."  
  
"So..."  
  
"Uhh..."  
  
"What do you want to do?"  
  
"I don't know. What do 'you' want to do?"  
  
"I don't have an idea. What do 'you' want to do?"  
  
"I'm not sure. What do 'you' want to do?" Silence filled the air once again.  
  
"I'm sorry that I'm a bit new to this, friend stuff," said Ray quietly. Mariah patted his arm reassuringly.  
  
"Don't worry. You're doing great!"  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Positive." Silence filled the air yet again.  
  
"Um..."  
  
"So..."  
  
"Uhh...."  
  
"Er..."  
  
"Um..."  
  
"What do you want to do?"  
  
***  
  
And there you have it! Another lousy day, another lousy chapter...  
  
*Yawns* Well, I better start my homework...  
  
Cya!  
  
Signing out,  
  
Frontier of Darkness, AKA Dark Magician 


	3. Car Chases Aren’t the Best Chases

Eternal Façade  
  
Disclaimer: Beyblade is not mine. :'(  
  
Summary: The first born son of each house hold is sacrificed to the demon of Haku Tora Mountain. Disguised as a female since birth, fifteen year old Ray Kon encounters vengeful demons, is engaged to the son of his neighboring village-head, and wonders if he could ever tell Mariah his true feelings. R+M  
  
A/N "Haku Tora" translates to "White Tiger." ^-^  
  
To the reviewers:  
  
Skittles the Sugar Fairy: Thank you! ^^  
  
Galux Kitty: ^^ I love chibis too! But not nearly as much as my chibi- obsessed friend that uses her chibi-voice more than her normal one...  
  
Bimbo-blonde: ^^ And I loved writing that... actually, it was because I couldn't think of anything better to write about... but you didn't need to know that...  
  
Angie: O.O You call THOSE unhappy thought? I, myself, think they are nice thoughts... I MIGHT update Forbidden... I'm actually working on it right now but... I stuck... ..; I wonder how they were able to survive like that...)  
  
"Oh no! I didn't realize it was so late already! I have to get home in two hours!" he panicked, now running back at full speed with the surprised faces of the other villagers flashing past him. Ray ran past another crowd of people, jostling him this way and that, until a familiar figure came into view, dragging her feet forlornly through the crowds.  
  
"Mariah?" he asked, stopping abruptly, and blinked a few times. The girl had her head lowered so that her pink bangs shielded her face from his eyes. "Mariah?" Ray asked again, slightly louder, stepping closer. Mariah either didn't hear him or was just ignoring him and kept walking, causing Ray to jog a bit alongside her to keep up.  
  
"Look, Mariah. I'm sorry I ran off like that," here he trailed off, thinking of a way to phrase his words, "I was so excited to be outside today, I got carried away a bit. Do you... do you forgive me?" The pink- haired girl slowed down a bit, but kept walking on. Ray stopped following her and glanced down at his shoes, saddened by her behavior and guilty at his own actions.  
  
"I'm sorry, Mariah!" he blurted out desperately. This time, Mariah stopped walking and slowly turned towards him, her face still hidden by her bangs. Ray stared at her, worriedly; what was she going to do? Mariah slowly raised her head up to look at him... wearing a most, sinister expression. "Mariah...?" he asked unsurely.  
  
The girl lifted her right her hand up until it was level with her eyes and raised her index finger, her expression never changing. "What are you doing?" asked Ray stepping backwards, half wary and half confused. Then, the girl brought her hand slowly forward until it was almost touching Ray's nose and...  
  
(A/N Dum, dum, DUM! Ahem, excuse me...)  
  
...flicked him in the forehead.  
  
"Tag! You're IT!" she laughed gleefully before turning tail and ran, leaving Ray standing there speechless, trying to register what had happened. After a two second break to snap back to reality, Ray's expression turned from a puzzled look, to a look of realization, to a stunned look, to a look of annoyance.  
  
"You asked for it..." he growled playfully before dashing after the grinning girl.  
  
Mariah squealed in panic as her pursuer starting gaining on her and ran on faster. A meter behind her was a devilishly grinning Ray.  
  
"I've got you now!" he laughed triumphantly, slowly closing the gap between them. Mariah whimpered nervously. Then an idea suddenly struck her. She stopped suddenly and wheeled around to face her chaser who gave a nervous squeal and side-stepped out of her way to avoid crashing into her. This was just the move that she had anticipated.  
  
Quickly, without wasting any momentum, the six-year-old bolted in the direction opposite of the one that they had been heading in. Ray growled in frustration and bolted right after her.  
  
"Can't catch me, Ray!" Mariah teased.  
  
"Oh yeah? Remember last time? You didn't even come CLOSE to catching ME! Ha!" Ray yelled back triumphantly.  
  
"Then how come you didn't catch me yet?" she taunted.  
  
"Don't worry I will!" Ray boasted.  
  
"We'll see about that." Mariah laughed.  
  
"Yeah, we will." Ray shot back.  
  
"As if!" exclaimed Mariah before swinging back around, just to run into someone. The force of the collision sent her and the person sprawling backwards onto the dirt ground. Ray ran over in concern.  
  
"Mariah! Are you alright?" he asked. Mariah nodded, rubbing her head.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine, Ray." Then she turned to the fallen person. "I'm sor--- "she broke of in mid-sentence with a gasp.  
  
"Mariah, who is THAT?" growled none other than her brother Lee.  
  
***  
  
Finally, after a long wait, the third chapter is done! *drum roll* Now... time to get some nappy time...  
  
R+R  
  
Signing out,  
  
Frontier of Darkness, AKA Dark Magician 


	4. Enter Lee

Eternal Façade  
  
Disclaimer: If Beyblade was mine, this disclaimer would not be here. A claimer would be in its place.  
  
Summary: The first born son of each house hold is sacrificed to the demon of Haku Tora Mountain. Disguised as a female since birth, fifteen year old Ray Kon encounters vengeful demons, is engaged to the son of his neighboring village-head, and wonders if he could ever tell Mariah his true feelings. R+M  
  
A/N "Haku Tora" translates to "White Tiger." ^-^  
  
To the reviewers:  
  
Sunset*Jewel: I'll try not to nap that much... but I can't promise you anything... ^^;  
  
Galux Kitty: Yes, Lee SHOULD go away... go far, FAR away... :D  
  
Goddess-of-Hell: ^^ Here's chapter four!  
  
Lisa: ...  
  
Cry of the Red Phoenix: ^^ I'm glad you liked it. This is the only fic of mine that seems to interest you.  
  
Skittles the Sugar Fairy: Thankies! ^^  
  
Angela: *nods* I share your pain... *shivers*  
  
~Key:  
  
"................." talking  
  
'.................' thinking  
  
*** Beginning/End of Chapter  
  
** Change of Scene  
  
End of Key~  
  
Chapter 4: Enter Lee  
  
***  
  
"I leave you alone for half an hour and I find you out here carelessly running around like this? And with a complete stranger too? I'm disappointed in you, Mariah!" the black-haired lion thundered. Mariah winced at her brother's scolding.  
  
"I'm sorry, Lee. I promise I won't do it again," the saddened girl answered quietly, staring at the ground. Lee growled before turning his attention to Ray.  
  
"And whoever you are, stay away from my sister! I won't have any punk boys messing with her!" he snarled, rather rudely. Ray looked taken aback. Mariah looked up from the ground, confusion blazing in her eyes.  
  
"What are you talking about, Lee? Ray's a GIRL!" she cried, carefully stressing the last word by flailing her arms around. Lee was incredulous. He turned away from his sister to the "girl".  
  
"You're... a girl?"  
  
Ray scowled, thinking hard. 'I know I'm a boy, but...'  
  
~Flashback~  
  
"Ray, I 'forbid' you to let anyone know that you're a boy!"  
  
"But father! Why do I have to? I don't WANT to be a girl!"  
  
"It's for your own good. Trust me, my son."  
  
~End of Flashback~  
  
'...I have to obey my father,'  
  
"Yes, I am," he forced himself to answer. Lee stood there stunned for a while before coming to his senses and apologizing.  
  
"I'm terribly sorry, Miss... Ray was it?" he asked, his face heating up completely. 'I'm such an idiot,' he mentally slapped himself. Ray regarded him coldly, immediately taking a disliking to the boy, for forcing him to lie to his new friend.  
  
"Yes it was," he said briskly, "and you must be Mariah's brother, Lee." It was Lee's turn to look down shamefully at his shoes. He had clearly noticed the cold edge in Ray's voice.  
  
'Way to get a girl to hate you, Lee,' he thought to himself bitterly.  
  
Mariah on the other hand, was completely oblivious to the uncomfortable exchange between her brother and friend. Instead, she was ecstatic.  
  
"Hey, Lee? Can we go and introduce Ray to the rest of our friends?" she asked, tugging on Lee's sleeve. Lee looked down at her warmly.  
  
"Of course we can... that is... if Miss Ray would like to come?" he added, nervously glancing over at Ray.  
  
"I would love to," he responded icily, shooting daggers at the lion with his eyes. Mariah glanced at him in concern.  
  
"Is... is there something wrong, Ray?" she asked innocently, cocking her head to one side, peering at her friend through wide childlike eyes. Ray couldn't help but drop his frosty demeanor, flashing Mariah a cheerful smile.  
  
"Don't worry. Nothing's wrong," he reassured. Mariah smiled brightly.  
  
"Alright then, let's go!" She quickly took the lead, skipping playing along the road, leaving Ray and Lee following her in a troubling silence.  
  
"So... how come I haven't seen you around before? Are you new in town?" asked Lee carefully, trying to lighten the mood... and to make Ray hate him less. Ray sped up a bit to catch up with Mariah before shooting him a steely gaze.  
  
"I've been around," he replied, indifferently. Lee's shoulders slumped down, defeated.  
  
"Why does she hate me so much?" he asked himself.  
  
Ray sped up to a light jog, just to keep up with the enthusiastic fuchsia- haired girl, who was chasing after a white butterfly.  
  
"Hi Ray!" she greeted as she made another fruitless grab at the butterfly, "How come you're not talking to my brother?" Ray looked up at the sky awkwardly.  
  
"Well... I don't really know him that well... so... I'm not comfortable with speaking with him," he replied quickly. Mariah nodded absently as she tried to grab the butterfly again.  
  
"Oh, darn! How come I can never catch you?" she complained. Ray giggled at his friend's desperateness.  
  
"You want me to help you?" he asked. Mariah nodded vigorously.  
  
"Yes! That would be very helpful."  
  
Ray and Mariah both took off after the butterfly, each laughing as the other tried and failed to catch it.  
  
"Be quiet now," whispered Ray as the butterfly landed on a wildflower, drinking its sweet nectar. Mariah nodded her agreement. The both of them slowly advanced towards the butterfly, careful not to disturb it. The butterfly suddenly tensed up, as if sensing the danger.  
  
"NOW!" shouted Mariah as they both pounced at it, hoping to snatch it in their hands, without crushing it. But just as they pounce, the butterfly took off, causing the duo to land on top of each other in a clump of grass.  
  
Mariah and Ray both struggled to their knees, brushing a few pieces of grass away.  
  
"It got away..." stated Mariah sadly.  
  
"Yeah..." sighed Ray. Then they both turned to each other and laughed at the sight of each other, covered in dirt and grass.  
  
"There's... a twig... in your hair, Ray!" Mariah choked out, doubling over in laughter as Ray frowned and tried to get it out. "You look like an antelope!" Ray laughed good-naturedly.  
  
"At least I don't look like a spotted puppy," he joked, wiping some dirt of Mariah's face with his sleeve. Just then, the white butterfly came out of nowhere and landed on top of Ray's head. Ray looked up in surprise. "Isn't that the butterfly?" he asked. Mariah nodded before extending her finger to the butterfly which flew on top of it.  
  
"Wow. Its wings are so pretty!" she exclaimed. The butterfly flapped its wings a few times before taking off again, leaving the two of them kneeling in the grass.  
  
"Well, at least we kind of did catch it..." said Ray quietly, "It's kind of funny how things work out, isn't it?"  
  
"I have to agree," Mariah answered.  
  
Meanwhile, at the edge of the meadow, Lee looked wistfully at the two "girls" sitting next to each other in the grass.  
  
"How I wish I could be with them..." he sighed. Just then a look of realization crossed his face. "Hey? Where did Mariah put my ball?!?!"  
  
***  
  
That's a good question! In case some of you forgot, in the second chapter, Mariah was chasing after Lee's ball after she borrowed it and Ray helped get it back for her.  
  
Anyway, I'll follow your advice and nap less... *yawn* Oops... too late... *snore*  
  
Zzzzzzzzzz...Zzzzzzzzzzz...Zzzzzzzzzzzz...  
  
Zzzzzzzzzz...Signing...zzzzzzzzz...out...  
  
Zzzzzzzzzz... Frontier of Darkness... Zzzzzzzzzzzz...AKA Dark Magician... Zzzzzzzz.....  
  
Zzzzzzzzzz... R+R ... *snore* 


End file.
